Ducks make pitch to Lecavalier

The Ducks are rumored to be interested in signing Tampa Bay's Vincent Lecavalier (4) to a free agent contract. The Ducks, though, are a long shot to add the Stanley Cup winner as Montreal, Toronto and Detroit appear to be the frontrunners. KEVIN SULLIVAN

Seth Jones. Nathan MacKinnon. Jonathan Drouin.

The 2013 NHL entry draft has been about those three players and one will be the first to walk up to the stage at Prudential Center, the home of the New Jersey Devils, after his name is called first on Sunday.

But the eve of the draft has been about another Stanley Cup-winning name that has stood out among a growing list of quality players who had the trade chatter flowing freely Saturday in Newark.

Former All-Star center Vincent Lecavalier is being coveted by many teams after Tampa Bay bought out the remainder of his 11-year, $85 million contract extension that was signed in 2008, immediately making him a free agent.

The Ducks are among those teams. TSN reported the club made a pitch to Lecavalier and his representatives, but another source said it is fully aware that the veteran pivot will have plenty of offers to consider as free agency officially opens Friday.

Lecavalier, 33, had spent all 13 of his NHL seasons with the Lightning and won the Cup in 2004. The four-time All-Star has 383 goals and 491 assists in 1,037 career games but also hasn't averaged a point per game since the 2007-08 season.

However, Lecavalier did have 10 goals and 22 assists in 39 games for Tampa Bay last season and has averaged 25 goals and 60 points over the four full seasons before the 2012-13 lockout year. His presence would fill a glaring hole for the Ducks.

But the Ducks are a longshot to land the 6-foot-4 pivot, who would slot in nicely behind Ryan Getzlaf as their second-line center. It is believed that Lecavalier is seeking a minimum three-year deal worth between $4.5 million and $5 million annually.

Montreal, Toronto and Detroit appeared to be potential destinations for Lecavalier but teams such as Dallas and St. Louis joined the Ducks and others in meeting with the center Saturday.

Two young centers – Boston's Tyler Seguin and Buffalo's Cody Hodgson – were among other interesting names that hit the rumor mill Saturday. The Ducks have Nick Bonino and Peter Holland in house but could be in the hunt for a more proven commodity to beef up their lineup.

General Manager Bob Murray indicated that he wanted to make some changes after the Ducks' first-round playoff exit but told the Register on Saturday that he "feels no pressure to do anything here but always trying to upgrade."

Murray has received his share of calls on winger Bobby Ryan and goalie Jonas Hiller. The Ducks are not shopping either and could easily enter 2013-14 with both, but they're in listen mode on the two front-line players still under contract that would fetch the largest return.

Ryan's time in Anaheim has been marked by an eternal presence in trade rumors. His deal isn't up until 2015 but the Ducks now have Getzlaf and Corey Perry eating up nearly $17 million of cap space for the next eight years and likely can't afford another potential $7 million-plus player.

Hiller will make $4.5 million this season, the last year of his deal. It is likely that the Ducks start the season with him in a tandem with Viktor Fasth but he could be deemed expendable with hot prospect John Gibson and Frederik Andersen in the stable.

There is the draft for the Ducks and they have the 26th selection in the first round. Martin Madden, the team's director of amateur scouting, said there hasn't been much talk about moving either up or down but indicated that "those types of trades happen closer to draft time."

"There are a number of teams with multiple picks in the first and second round," Madden said. "So I'm sure they're looking to be creative with their assets. We'll react to the offers as they come. But as of now, it's been very quiet on that front."

Madden is among many who believe this year's draft is the deepest since 2003, which included Getzlaf, Perry and many other serviceable and top NHL players.

"I'd say the top eight is really strong," Madden said. "But there will be many NHL players to come out of the draft. I have no doubt about that."

The Ducks will also have selections in the second, third, fifth and sixth rounds. Their second-round pick is the one they obtained from the New York Islanders for Lubomir Visnovsky.

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